What is pipeline coverage, and how do you measure it in Metabase?

Pipeline coverage is open pipeline divided by the quota or target it has to cover in a period. It's the forward-looking health check for a sales team: it tells you whether there's enough in the funnel to hit the number, given a realistic win rate. Track it in Metabase from CRM data synced into a database (HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, and others).

What does a pipeline coverage chart look like in Metabase?

Chart open pipeline divided by quota per quarter with the coverage target as a goal line: the climb from about 2× to comfortably past the 3× mark is pipeline generation catching up to a growing number. A dip like Q4 2024's often follows a strong close-out quarter — winning deals drains the funnel — so pair the ratio with pipeline-creation volume before sounding the alarm.

How is pipeline coverage defined?

Coverage is a ratio, not a currency amount:

• Raw coverage = open pipeline value ÷ quota. Simple, but treats an early-stage deal the same as a late-stage one.
• Weighted coverage = Σ(deal value × stage probability) ÷ quota. More realistic because it discounts early-stage deals.

Scope the pipeline to the deals that can actually close in the period you're covering.

What coverage target should you aim for?

The "3× pipeline" rule is a heuristic, not a law. The principled target is the inverse of your win rate:

• A 33% win rate implies you need roughly 3× coverage.
• A 25% win rate implies roughly 4×.
• A 50% win rate implies roughly 2×.

Derive your target from your own win rate rather than borrowing someone else's multiplier.

What data does pipeline coverage need?

• Open deals with a value and an expected close period.
• A quota or target table by period (and team/owner).
• Stage probabilities if you want weighted coverage.
• A consistent rule for which open deals count toward the period.

SQL patterns

SELECT
  p.period,
  p.quota,
  ROUND(SUM(d.value), 2)                          AS open_pipeline,
  ROUND(SUM(d.value) / NULLIF(p.quota, 0), 2)     AS coverage_ratio
FROM sales_targets p
LEFT JOIN modeled_deals d
  ON d.period = p.period
 AND NOT d.is_closed
GROUP BY p.period, p.quota
ORDER BY p.period;

-- Coverage on weighted pipeline (value x stage probability)
SELECT
  p.period,
  p.quota,
  ROUND(SUM(d.value * s.probability), 2)                       AS weighted_pipeline,
  ROUND(SUM(d.value * s.probability) / NULLIF(p.quota, 0), 2)  AS weighted_coverage
FROM sales_targets p
LEFT JOIN modeled_deals d
  ON d.period = p.period AND NOT d.is_closed
LEFT JOIN modeled_stages s ON s.id = d.stage_id
GROUP BY p.period, p.quota
ORDER BY p.period;

Pitfalls

Where this metric applies

• HubSpot + Metabase — open deal amount vs. a quota table
• Salesforce + Metabase — open opportunity Amount vs. quota
• Pipedrive + Metabase — open deal value vs. target
• Close + Metabase — active opportunity value vs. target

Related

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